Chester "Chet" Walker (born February 22, 1940, Benton Harbor, Michigan) is a former pro basketball player.[1]
Walker played high school basketball for the Benton Harbor High School boys basketball team. He graduated from Bradley University in 1962 as the school's all-time leading scorer. The Bradley Braves[2] won the NIT Championship in 1957 and 1960. Walker's speed and agility on the court earned him the nickname "Chet the Jet." He probably is best remembered as a starting forward on the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers team, which some consider the best NBA team of all time.
Walker was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals and was named to the NBA's first All-Rookie Team in 1963. He followed the team to Philadelphia after his rookie season. A seven-time participant in the NBA All-Star Game, Walker averaged over 19 points and eight rebounds a game for the '66-67 76ers, who won 68 games and lost just 13—the best record in NBA history at the time. That Alex Hannum-coached squad, which also featured center Wilt Chamberlain, guards Hal Greer and Wali Jones, and sixth man Billy Cunningham, ended the eight-year championship run of the Boston Celtics. Walker played his final six seasons with the Chicago Bulls, and never averaged less than 19.2 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. In his 13-year career, Walker scored a total of 18,831 points. The 6-6 forward was an outstanding free-throw shooter, especially in his later years with the Bulls. He led the NBA with an accuracy rate of 85.9 percent in 1970-71, and ranked among the top-10 free-throwers five other times.
After his playing days, Walker became a moderately successful TV movie producer. He is the author of a memoir entitled, "Long Time Coming: A Black Athlete's Coming-Of-Age in America " published in 1995.
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| Persondata |
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Walker, Chet |
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| Date of birth |
February 22, 1940 |
| Place of birth |
Benton Harbor, Michigan |
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